


The Perks of Being a Pop Star (and the Benefits of Dating One)

by Umbr_el_on



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, I can finally claim sole ownership of the Doroashe tag I am THRIVING, Pop Star Dorothea Arnault, Rest Day Zine, self-care
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:08:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24508915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Umbr_el_on/pseuds/Umbr_el_on
Summary: The slam snapped him out of some of the shock. Turning towards Dorothea, he watched her shuffle the bills in her hands. She looked up and met his gaze, though she gave no warning before leaning over and giving him a chaste kiss.“Not bad for a couple of kids off the street,” she teased, winking and throwing a couple of $20s at Ashe.Ashe snorted and snatched the money out of the air. “Not bad at all. What should we do with it?”Dorothea chewed her lip for a few seconds as she considered the question. Ashe reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear when an idea occurred to him.~~~~~Written for Rest Day: An FE3H Charity Zine ❤︎
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert
Comments: 5
Kudos: 19





	The Perks of Being a Pop Star (and the Benefits of Dating One)

**Author's Note:**

> It was such a pleasure to have contributed to a project as amazing as Rest Day. Many thanks to [donniedont](https://archiveofourown.org/users/donniedont/profile), [scatteringmyashes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatteringmyashes/profile), and [purple_bookcover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/purple_bookcover/profile) for working so hard to bring this project to life. Thank you as well to all of my fellow contributors being wonderful to work with.

Ashe looked up from his book when he heard a thud on the other side of the coffee table. He was met with the sight of Dorothea, her hair pulled into a messy bun and a smile that Ashe knew would be followed by the request of a favor once he was ready. Donning a small smile himself, Ashe marked the page in his book before setting it aside on the couch and nodding to Dorothea to speak.

“Do you have some time to help me open a little bit of fan mail?” She punctuated the question with a playful fluttering of her lashes.

“Sure, but that seems like more than a little bit…” Ashe eyed the bag she’d dropped, which was about the size of a duffel bag.

Dorothea pulled the bag around, forgetting the static she’d make with the carpet until she flopped next to Ashe and shocked him, making them both yelp in surprise. Their shock dissolved into laughter after the moment passed. Now lifting the bag to set in front of them, Dorothea opened it up.

“It is more than a little, but my mailbox is closed so it’ll be the last delivery for a while. I need to focus on making my next album.”

Ashe raised an eyebrow as he pulled out a letter. “Oh, you mean the one you’ve written one lyric and drawn crude artwork for?”

Dorothea smacked Ashe’s arm, feigning hurt. “Hey, I worked hard on that sketch!”

Ashe just chuckled, pulling open the envelope and finding a simple card accompanied by a drawing. Ashe set the drawing aside and started a pile for the letters, seeing Dorothea doing the same. They carried on chatting and catching up on each other’s day as they worked through the mail. Most of the content was as they expected, with drawings and poems and small gifts mixed in with more paper than they cared to have around. Their flow carried on uninterrupted until Dorothea reached into the bag and froze, mouth hanging open.

Ashe dove over, peering into the bag but unable to see past her hand. “What is it?”

“You’re kidding…” she whispered, holding a matte black box between polished purple nails as she leaned back into the couch, dropping the box into her lap.

Before Ashe could vocalize his confusion, Dorothea pulled the lid off of the box. Ashe’s jaw dropped at its contents. A diamond necklace and matching earrings sparkled on top of a satin black pillow. The sunny gold settings were barely visible under the sizable stones. Finally tearing their eyes from the box, Dorothea and Ashe stared at each other dumbfounded.

“Who sent that?” Ashe exclaimed, pulling a small note off of the lid.

There was no name on the note, only a return address. The handwriting was so messy he couldn’t even read it, but he didn’t give it a second look. Instead, he addressed Dorothea.

“Are you going to keep it?”

“Goddess, no! I won’t appreciate this, not like it deserves. Besides, I’d feel silly wearing something so… extravagant.” Dorothea sighed and ran a hand down her face.

“Do we even know if it’s real?”

“It’s in a Hil & Raph Designs box. It’s real,” Dorothea muttered.

Ashe paused for a second, drumming his fingers on the table. He knew Dorothea loathed getting such over the top gifts, and she wasn’t going to change her tune now. Still, she had a point about the accessory deserving a level of appreciation, and neither of them could deliver that.

“Do you think Linhardt would appreciate it?” Ashe blurted out his idea, unsure what else to offer while Dorothea shifted next to him.

To his surprise, she laughed. The sound was lighter and fuller than her mood had been mere seconds ago, but Ashe’s shoulders relaxed when she finally came back to him with a smile, demeanor notably improved. She slid the lid back on the box and moved it to the table before responding.

“He totally would; you know Lin and his love of sparkly hardware as well as I do,” she said.

Ashe nodded, slipping his phone out of his pocket. “Should I text him, see if he wants to take a look at it?”

“Please. I’ll clean up all the paper while you do that.” Dorothea pecked Ashe on the check as she set about gathering the cards and envelopes strewn about the floor, table, and couch.

Ashe navigated to his messaging app and started drafting a text.

_ Hey Lin, hope you’re doing well. Dorothea got a necklace and earring set she doesn’t want but thought you’d appreciate. Would you take a look at it? _

Linhardt’s reply came within two minutes, unsurprising given his close proximity to the phone at all hours of the day.  _ I need more information than that. What brand? What size? What type of metal? _

_ Gold, Hil & Raph. Came in a black box with a black pillow. _

This response came even faster.  _ PIC PLZ! _

Ashe snapped a photo of the box before taking the lid off to capture the jewelry itself. He fired off both photos before standing up, taking a few scraps of paper Dorothea had missed with him to toss in the kitchen. Instead of getting a text, his phone buzzed for an incoming call. Seeing a picture of Lin splashed across the screen, Ashe answered.

“Hey–”

“Are you still home? I’d like to come take a look at that jewelry now if you’re available.” Linhardt cut Ashe off, pushing through a yawn to speak.

“Yeah, we’re here. One second,” Ashe said as he walked back to the living room where Dorothea was back on the couch. “Linhardt wants to know if he can come look at it now.”

After a surprised pause, Dorothea gave a thumbs up. “Yes, you can come by now if you’d like. There’s no rush though, you could come tomorrow–”

“I’ll be there in 45 minutes.” Before Ashe could answer, his phone beeped to signal that the call had been ended.

* * *

Ashe was sitting on the couch, his fingers laced with Dorothea’s while Linhardt used his appraisal tools to evaluate the jewelry. He’d been taking diligent notes throughout the process, his meticulous way of doing things evident in his spotless tools and organized bag. In a way, it was nice to see nothing of consequence had changed about Linhardt over the years.

“Alright, my assessment is finished.” Linhardt put away his calipers and made one last note before he began to read the page line by line with the tip of his pencil.

“Well?” Dorothea leaned forward, eyes flickering between Lin and the box.

“$1,500. The retail price is likely closer to $1,750, but this particular set is discontinued so I can’t verify that. Unfortunately, the box wasn’t stored properly and there are scratches on the settings from shipping that take off some value.” Linhardt stretched his arms over his head, far too at ease for the sums of money he was discussing.

Dorothea grinned, unwinding her hand from Ashe’s to push the box closer to Linhardt. “I understand, that’s a fair explanation. How about we settle at $1,400, as a thank you for letting us rush you over here on short notice?”

“You didn’t rush–” Linhardt started, but Dorothea gave him a sharp look. He continued after a pause: “OK, it’s a deal. Pleasure doing business with you two.”

Linhardt pulled the box in front of him and got out his wallet, which had an irresponsible amount of crumpled cash shoved into it. Ashe continued reeling over the afternoon as Dorothea finished closing the deal with Linhardt. Once the cash had exchanged hands, Linhardt smiled and put the set on.

“Thank you, Ashe. Don’t hesitate to give me a call if you get anything else like this!” Linhardt gave him a wave as he walked out, flipping his hair over his shoulders.

“O-of course!” Ashe called to the front door as it swung shut.

The slam snapped him out of some of the shock. Turning towards Dorothea, he watched her shuffle the bills in her hands. She looked up and met his gaze, though she gave no warning before leaning over and giving him a chaste kiss.

“Not bad for a couple of kids off the street,” she teased, winking and throwing a couple of $20s at Ashe.

Ashe snorted and snatched the money out of the air. “Not bad at all. What should we do with it?”

Dorothea chewed her lip for a few seconds as she considered the question. Ashe reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear when an idea occurred to him.

“What if we got some nice tea?”

“How about fancy cleansing masks?”

They stared at each other, both a touch embarrassed to have spoken over the other. Dorothea brushed it off faster, a cheeky smile stretching over her lips. “Why not both?”

The thought of taking the money they just got and just throwing it away on unnecessary things made Ashe feel a twinge of guilt in his gut. He cursed that lingering behavior from his childhood, but he knew Dorothea still struggled with those feelings too. As stable as they were from her singing and his teaching, it never felt like quite enough to loosen up. Still, Dorothea’s apparent thirst to treat themselves after this small blessing couldn’t be ignored. With a deep breath, Ashe pushed through his uncertainty to offer a compromise.

“What if we save $1,000 – which will put us over our savings goal for this month – and use the remaining $400 for whatever we want?” Ashe tried to use his smile to communicate his feelings without spelling them out.

Perceptive as always, Dorothea offered a comforting gaze as she nodded. “That sounds like a great plan. So,” she grabbed her phone off the arm of the chair, “what else should we get? We’ve got tea and cleansing masks…” Her fingers danced over the screen to build a list of purchases to make.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to order takeout and give the delivery driver a huge tip?” Ashe ran a hand through his hair, anxious his suggestion was silly.

“That sounds great! What sort of takeout? Oooh, how about we order some pizzas and rent movies to watch while we eat?” Dorothea was glowing with excitement, and it was enough to dissipate the last wisps of hesitation floating in Ashe’s head.

“Yes! You’ve always wanted to craft wall art too, right? We could get supplies to make some decorations.” Ashe stood up and retrieved his laptop from his desk, bringing it back with him to start searching for the things they wanted.

“Yes, some paint by number sets or wall art kits would be amazing,” Dorothea sang, pulling her bun out to let her hair fall around her.

Ashe started searching the internet for tea gift sets while Dorothea sought out craft supplies on her phone. They settled into happy silence for the remainder of the night. They shopped and clicked well into the night, their orders placed and due to arrive in a few days. Finally, Ashe closed his laptop to find Dorothea watching him with her chin in her hands.

“I think that’s more online shopping than I’ve ever done before,” he chuckled, rubbing his heavy eyes.

Giggling, Dorothea stood up and offered her hand to Ashe. He took it gratefully, holding his laptop under one arm while keeping his other arm free to hold Dorothea’s hand. They walked together to his desk to plug his computer in before heading to their room to brush up and head to bed.

* * *

On the third day since selling Linhardt the jewelry, the last of their orders rolled in. Ashe tore into the box for his tea sampler, pulling out a wooden box with bags of tea neatly lined up inside of it. The variety of smells that came from the set was astounding, ranging from earthy to floral to bitter. Before he could get into the booklet to read about each tea, Dorothea poked her head around the corner.

“Two large pizzas, one cheese and one pepperoni?”

“Mmm, that sounds perfect. Thanks, Thea!” Ashe turned and beamed at her before repacking the box.

While Dorothea was on the phone with the pizzeria, Ashe started laying out their craft supplies on the coffee table. They had an at-home ceramic cup painting set, a cross-stitch flower kit, and an array of paints to make some wall art. Once the craft supplies were compiled, Ashe queued up their movie lineup for the night: Camp Rock 1 and 2, and High School Musical 1, 2, and 3. He doubted they’d get through it all, but Dorothea insisted they try.

“Alright, the pizza will be here in about half an hour. Can we start with our cleansing masks so we aren’t eating with them on?” Dorothea leaned on the wall in the hallway leading to their room.

“Sure, please grab a headband for me!”

Dorothea acknowledged him with a wave as she disappeared again. Ashe looked over the table of supplies, giddy to be doing so many fun things in a single night. Even better was sharing it with the person he loved, something he never knew if he’d be able to find. That shared sentiment by Dorothea was probably why they’d fallen into things so readily, moving in together after six months and discussing marriage after just short of two years. Ashe could sit there and reflect on the sentiment of it for far too long, but he came back to the present when Dorothea walked in with packets and headbands in hand.

“Ashe, are you ready to be glamorous?” Dorothea ripped open both packets at once.

“I think it would take more than one cleansing mask for that, but it’s a start.” Ashe pulled his legs underneath him on the couch, shying away from the affectionately disapproving look on Dorothea’s face.

“We’re going to move past that, but this mask is just bringing out what’s already there.” Dorothea gave Ashe a headband, which he put on, and pulled out the first sheet mask.

She unfolded it and peeled off the plastic backing. She laid the mask over Ashe’s face, smoothing it out with a soft touch that Ashe found himself leaning into. The moment passed too soon, but Dorothea stayed close as she put her own mask on. They took a good look at each other and laughed, pushing their hands to their face in a desperate attempt to keep the masks from sliding off.

They eventually settled down and started the next phase of the night with Ashe starting up Camp Rock as Dorothea sketched a geometric pattern onto a small canvas. It was the most contented and at peace Ashe had felt in months, and he felt the tension in his muscles melt away to be replaced with joy.

He glanced over when he heard a cap open. Dorothea was pouring paint onto a paper plate, leaning over with her hair dangerously close to dipping into one of the other colors she’d already poured. Ashe reached over and gathered up her hair. That snapped Dorothea out of her focus.

“Wow, thanks for saving my hair,” she chuckled, shaking her head.

“Of course. You’ve talked about dip dyeing your hair, but there’s better ways to do it.”

Dorothea cackled. “True, but why use a perfectly good paint brush when I have my hair?”

Ashe shrugged and threw his hands up. With that, they both went back to their activities. Dorothea started painting the pattern she’d drawn while Ashe picked up the cross stitch kit to work on. They drowned in their new hobbies until Dorothea’s phone went off.

“Aww, time for the masks to come off,” Dorothea groaned, peeling hers off and slipping it back into its bag.

Ashe did the same and not five seconds after he’d put the mask away did the doorbell ring. Dorothea sprang to her feet, offering Ashe her hand. He took it and stood next to her. They exchanged knowing nods as they walked to the door, opening it to find a young girl with green hair and a faded red uniform holding their pizzas.

“Hi! I have a delivery for Dorothea?” She smiled and held their pizzas out, tilting her head to one side.

“That would be me! Thank you, sweetheart,” Dorothea cooed, all warmth and gratitude.

“Your total is $28.49, I can take cash or a card.”

“Thank you, please keep the rest as your tip.” Ashe handed the girl $100 in cash and her eyes practically bulged out of her head.

“S-sir, are you sure? That’s more than $70...” The girl looked like she was tearing up and it made Ashe’s heart swell in his chest to see how much this meant to her.

“I’m absolutely sure.”

“Thank you, I… Thank you very much.” She sniffled and smiled before turning away, walking back to her car.

Ashe wrapped an arm around Dorothea and squeezed, feeling fulfilled. They exchanged a quick kiss before ducking back inside. Dorothea took the food into the kitchen and laid out each box. Ashe opened the pepperoni box and pulled out two slices while Dorothea got two slices of cheese. Ashe eyed the third box, but he left it alone for now.

“I love you,” Dorothea sighed, cuddling up to Ashe as the second Camp Rock movie started to play.

“I love you, too.” Ashe took his first bite of pizza, quickly followed by a second when it hit him how hungry he was.

They went back for seconds and thirds of pizza, carrying on with their crafts. Their projects slowly came together over small talk, completion coming as the credits rolled. With dinner out of the way and the cross stitch finished, Ashe stood up and stretched.

“I think I’m going to make one of those tea bags. Would you like to come pick one out?” Ashe looked down to see Dorothea adding a few sprinkles of glitter to the tacky paint of her masterpiece.

“I’d love that, thank you for sharing!”

Walking into the kitchen, the wooden box of teas called to them. Opening the lid, the scent of tea washed over them. Ashe pulled the booklet out and skimmed the pages, searching for a tea to suggest to Dorothea. He found his winning option and pulled out a pink-tinged bag, handing it to her before getting a light green bag for himself.

“That one is chocolate covered strawberry and this one is mint. They both need to steep for four minutes in boiling water.” Ashe grabbed an electric kettle from the pantry and filled it with two mugs full of water.

“As much as I feel bad about selling that fan’s gift, I think the gift of a night in with you is better than any jewelry.” Dorothea leaned on the counter, watching the water begin to bubble.

Ashe looked over and met Dorothea’s gaze. It was soothing, the moment of quiet shared between them with the sound of water in the background. He could’ve stayed like that the rest of the night, but Dorothea broke the stare to look down at the water.

Remembering what they were doing, Ashe dropped the tea bags into mugs and poured water over them. “Alright, back to the movies?”

Dorothea hummed for a beat before answering. “Actually, the rental is good for a week. How about we just have some cookie pizza, sip on our tea, and cuddle on the couch?”

Ashe grinned, pulling Dorothea into a hug. “That sounds amazing.”

Mugs in hand and cookies under an arm, Dorothea and Ashe made their way back to the couch. Turning off the TV and lighting some candles, they let the night wind down as they held each other close and whispered sweet nothings until sleep came and whisked them away to a new level of rest.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Twitter!](https://mobile.twitter.com/umbr_el_on) ✨💕


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